6 Delicious Vegetarian Christmas Dinner Recipes

Writer and expert3 years ago

As the festivities near, many begin their preparation for Christmas; decorating the tree, organising meetups with friends and of course, deciding on their Christmas dinner.

For centuries, a Christmas dinner has been a historic tradition celebrated by many families and has become a fundamental factor of our Christmas day activities. With increased pressure, many prepare early, collecting the finest ingredients they can find. However, for a vegetarian, a Christmas dinner might be avoided due to the meat that takes centre stage on the table.

Looking for some delicious vegetarian recipes to please all of your guests this Christmas? Look no further...

Chestnut and Parsnip Tarte Tatin

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time:1 hour

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
3 parsnips (about 350g) cut into spears (about 2cm at the thickest part)
150g echalion shallots, quartered lengthways
30g unsalted butter
3 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
100g chestnuts (freshly cooked, canned or vacuum-packed), sliced
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
250g Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients frozen puff pastry block, defrosted
3 tbsp fromage frais

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C / gas mark 5. Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan and cook the parsnips and shallots for around 10 minutes, until golden.
Add the sugar, butter, vinegar, rosemary, chestnuts, 1 tbsp mustard and 50ml water to the pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and turn the temperature up to 200°C, gas mark 6.
Arrange the vegetables in a rough pinwheel shape in the pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to make a rough circle slightly bigger than the pan. Lay the pastry over the vegetables, tucking the excess into the sides. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is risen and golden. Mix the remaining 1 tbsp mustard with the fromage frais; season. Carefully turn the tart out onto a serving plate and serve with the mustard sauce alongside. SF

Recipe courtesy of Waitrose.

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Wild Mushroom Pilaf

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

3 onions (about 400g), sliced
Drizzle of oil
2 tablespoons ground coriander, plus extra to serve
Half a cinnamon stick
4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
30g mixed wild mushrooms, soaked in 900ml of boiling water
400g mushrooms, roughly sliced
200g potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
200g carrots or other root vegetables, cut into 1cm cubes
250g short grain brown rice
6 sprigs parsley, leaves picked, stalks finely sliced
150g almonds, dry roasted then roughly chopped
25g barberries or cranberries
6 mint leaves
Yoghurt and 1 lemon cut into wedges to serve (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 160˚C/ Gas Mark 3. Add a good drizzle of oil to your casserole dish, covering the base of the dish, then place over a medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and gently fry for 15-20 minutes or until they are soft, caramelised and sweet.
Add the coriander, cinnamon, sliced mushrooms, a pinch of salt and dash more oil to the casserole. Then fry for a further 5-8 minutes over a medium-high heat, adjusting the heat so the dish doesn’t burn, until the mushrooms gain some colour.
Next add the potatoes, carrots, garlic and rice. Season generously with salt and pepper then stir, coating each and every grain with oil, onion and spice. Pour the wild mushrooms and the flavoured water into the mixture, bring to the boil and reduce the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. Put the lid on and place in the oven for 45 minutes or until the water has just evaporated.
Stir the parsley, half of the almonds and the barberries through the pilaf. Sprinkle the rest of the almonds on top. Serve with a spoon of yoghurt, dusted with coriander, torn mint leaves and a wedge of lemon.

Recipe courtesy of LeCreuset.

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Sweet Potato Galettes

Serves 6

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

3 sweet potatoes, weighing about 175g each
250 g all-butter puff pastry
1 tbsp flour, for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten
50 ml soured cream
100 g goats' cheese
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Bake the sweet potatoes in their skins for 35-45 minutes, until they soften up but are still slightly undercooked in the centre (check by inserting a small knife). Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into 3mm-thick slices.
Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry to about 2mm thick on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out six 7 x 14cm rectangles and prick them all over with a fork. Using a small knife held horizontally, gently tap the pastry edges – this will help it to rise. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, place the pastry rectangles on it, spaced well apart, and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
Remove the pastry from the fridge and brush lightly with the beaten egg. Spread a layer of soured cream on the pastries, leaving a 5mm border all round. Arrange the potato slices on the pastries, slightly overlapping, keeping the border clear. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, crumble over the goats' cheese and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and chilli. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the top shelf, or until the pastry is cooked through; it should be golden brown underneath.
Meanwhile, stir together the olive oil, garlic, parsley and a pinch of salt. As soon as the pastries come out of the oven, brush them with this mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Sainsburys.

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Root Vegetable Tatin with Candied Nuts and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

500g block puff pastry
3 slim carrots about 12-13 cm long, halved lengthways
3 slim parsnips
about 12-13 cm long, halved lengthways plus 1 large parsnip, peeled and grated
2 tbsp olive oil
2 heaped tbsp slightly salted butter
5 banana shallots, 3 halved lengthways, 2 thinly sliced
small bunch sage leaves picked and finely chopped
4 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
100g caster sugar
125ml red wine vinegar
100g blue cheese, crumbled (we used Cropwell Bishop)

For the candied nuts

50g walnuts, roughly chopped
25g caster sugar
2 tsp butter
3 rosemary spring

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry to just larger than a 30cm diameter ovenproof frying pan and use the pan as a template to cut out a round of pastry. Leave in the fridge, or a cool place while you prepare everything else.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the carrots and parsnips and cook for 5 mins. Drain and set aside to dry off slightly. Heat the oil and 1 tbsp of the butter in your pan and cook the sliced shallots and grated parsnips for 1-2 mins over a medium-high heat until just starting to brown, then add a good splash of water to the pan, stir to scrape up any brown bits, turn the heat down slightly, cover and cook for 4-5 mins, stirring every so often. The parsnips should be tender. Add the herbs and garlic and cook for another minute, then tip into a bowl, scraping out as well as you can. Season a little and set aside.
Add the sugar and vinegar to the pan and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes until syrupy, then stir in the remaining butter. Set aside to cool slightly, then arrange the vegetables in the pan, fanning them out. Top with the herby shallot and parsnip mixture, pushing it into any spaces there may be. Lay the pastry over the top of the vegetables and push in the edges a little. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 mins until puffed and deep golden brown.
While the tart bakes, put the nuts, sugar and butter in a small frying pan with a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium-high heat for about 5 mins, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and coated the nuts. Add the rosemary for the last minute. Tip out onto a piece of baking parchment and leave to cool for a few minutes.
Once the tart is baked, remove from the oven and carefully turn out onto a serving board. Scrape out any bits that are left in the tin and add back to the tart. Bash the nuts to break them up and scatter over, along with the crumbled cheese.

Recipe courtesy of BBCGoodFood.

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Classic Nut Roast with Salsa Rossa Picante

Ingredients

40 g unsalted butter , plus extra for greasing
100 g quinoa
150 g onion squash
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 sticks of celery
olive oil
200 g tinned or vac-packed chestnuts
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch of sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large field mushrooms
1 lemon
60 g fresh breadcrumbs
80 g dried cranberries
100 g dried apricots
100 g mixed nuts , such as walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts and brazil nuts
4 large free-range eggs
40 g mature Cheddar cheese

Salsa Rossa Picante

2 fresh red chillies
1 stick of cinnamon
2 cloves of garlic
1 small onion
½ bunch of fresh thyme , (15g)
2 x 400 g tins of quality plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease a 1-litre loaf tin with a little butter, then line with greaseproof paper.
Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions, then set aside to cool.
Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, then chop the flesh into rough 1cm chunks (you don’t need to peel the skin). Peel and roughly chop the onion. Peel and finely slice the garlic, then trim and roughly chop the celery.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the chopped vegetables and crumble in the chestnuts. Pick in the rosemary leaves, discarding the stalks, then toss well.
Add the cayenne, paprika and oregano. Season with sea salt and black pepper, stir well, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for around 15 minutes, or until softened slightly.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the mushrooms, then add to the pan for the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the butter and grate in half the lemon zest. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, then stir in the cooled quinoa, breadcrumbs, dried fruit and nuts (feel free to bash up some of the larger nuts if you prefer a less chunky consistency).
Crack in the eggs, then stir well to combine. Pop the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, then place in the hot oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cooked through and set.
When there’s about 30 minutes to go, make the salsa rossa. Place a roasting tray on the hob over a medium-low heat. Prick the chillies and add to the tray with a lug of olive oil and the cinnamon.
Peel and finely slice the garlic, peel and slice the onion into 8 wedges, then add them to the tray. Pick in most of the thyme leaves (save a few sprigs to one side).
Pour in the plum tomatoes and 1 tin’s worth of water, then stir well, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Season with salt and stir in the balsamic vinegar, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until thickened and reduced.
Once the salsa is ready, take 1 chilli out of the tray, then carefully halve, deseed and roughly chop it before returning it to the tray. Loosen the salsa with a splash of water, if needed, then pick out the extra chilli and cinnamon stick and put to one side.
Remove the nut roast from the oven, then carefully turn it out, peeling away the greaseproof paper. Pop the nut roast into the tray and grate over the cheese. Place the cinnamon stick, chilli and reserved thyme sprigs on top.
Return it to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Delicious served with mashed potato and seasonal greens.

Recipe courtesy of JamieOliver.

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Mushroom & Chestnut Wellington

Serves: 6 - 8

Preparation time: 25 minutes + cooling

Cooking time: 30 minutes + cooling

Ingredients

2 x 260g packs of spinach
50g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, finely sliced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 x 300g packs chestnut mushrooms, quartered
200g pack Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts, crumbled
150g pack of French Soft Goat's Cheese
Flour, for dusting
500g pack puff pastry
1 medium British Blacktail Free Range Egg yolk
2 tsp milk

Method

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the spinach and blanch for 1 minute. Drain, refresh under cold water then squeeze out as much water as possible. Roughly chop and set aside.
Heat the butter and oil in a large pan and gently cook the leeks for 5 minutes until softened and caramelised. Add the thyme and garlic, fry for a further minute then add the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes more until softened. Remove from the heat, stir in the chestnuts and leave to cool.
Tip the cooled mixture into a large bowl and stir through the cheese and spinach. Lay a large sheet of clingfilm on the work surface and tip the mixture into the middle. Mould into a rough log shape then roll up tightly in the clingfilm to make a 26cm-long cylinder. Chill for 1 hour until firm.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Dust the work surface with flour and roll the pastry into a 34 x 28cm rectangle. Lay the cylinder of filling on top and unwrap. Whisk together the egg yolk and milk and brush along the edges of the pastry. Carefully roll the filling in the pastry finishing with the join on the underside. Press the ends together to seal and crimp with a fingertip or a fork. Cut any pastry trimmings into festive leaves and use to decorate the Wellington. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and brush with the remaining egg. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Recipe courtesy of Waitrose.

You will need: